Flag raising and saluting toy



Feb. 13, 1962 D. SACHS FLAG RAISING AND SALUTING TQY Filed Feb. 5, 1961 INVENTOR. DA V/D SACHS BY Z ATTO/P/VB ire This invention relates to a novel manual mechanical saluting toy which is designed to provide an image of a soldier and a miniature flage pole with a movable flag, both secured to a hollow base. The soldier is provided with a movable arm which may be raised to saluting position as the flag is raised on the flag pole. The hollow base on which the soldier and flag pole stand contains the fundamental mechanical device by means of which the soldiers arm is brought to saluting position and the flag is raised.

It is the broad object of this invention to provide a toy which includes a miniature soldier adapted to salute a miniature flag as it is raised on a flag pole.

It is a further object to provide such a toy which may be operated manually by merely pushing a lever which extends out of one side of the hollow base.

It is another object of this invention to provide a sound and easily workable mechanical device for the operation of said saluting toy.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the ensuing specifications and appended drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of my saluting toyj FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the flag and flag pole taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an axial sectional view of the chest portion of the soldier;

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the same chest area;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view, looking upwardly as indicated by line 5-5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and in particular to FIG. 1 thereof, I have shown therein, as an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, a flag saluting toy embodying, in general: a hollow base A; a saluting soldier figure B mounted on the top of the base at one side thereof; a flag and flag pole assembly C mounted on the top of the base toward the other side thereof; and actuator mechanism, indicated generally at D and wmprising principally a lever having a projecting handle portion which is moved downwardly to simultaneously effect the raising of the flag part of the unit C and the raising of the arm of the soldier figure B to a saluting position.

Base A, which may be of drawn sheet metal or molded synthetic resin plastic material, comprises a generally horizontal top panel it) and a skirt 11 which may be of elongated rectangular or oval contour in horizontal section, with its major horizontal axis lying in the plane of the cross section seen in FIG. 1. At one side of its center, top panel it) has a straight horizontal slot 12 extending along this major horizontal axis, to receive the flag part of assembly C. At its opposite side, an aperture 13 intersects both the top panel and the skirt 11.

The saluting soldier figure B comprises a hollow body 15 which maye be of cast metal or molded plastic material, having a tubular leg portion 16 with a foot portion 17 at its lower end, and having at its upper end a hollow torso portion 18 terminating in a head 19. The lower end of body section 15 is suitably secured to the top panel 10, as by means of a tubular boss'and guide 20 secured, as by brazing or soldering, in a fitted aperture in top panel 10, assisted by attachment of foot portion 17 to the top panel 10. At its upper end, torso section 18 has respective shoulders 21 and 22. An immovable depending arm 23 may be integrally joined to one shoulder,

indicated at 21, whereas the other shoulder is truncated, having an end wall 22' disposed generally in a vertical plane. Extending through and journalled in the shoulders 21 and 22 is a shaft 23 which may be formed of a short length of wire having one end thereof bent to form a short crank 24, which is anchored in the upper end of a saluting arm 25. Thus the arm 25 is mounted for pivotal swinging moving movement from a lowered position indicated in FIG. 4 to a saluting position which is indicated in FIG. 1.

The flag assembly C comprises a tubular flag pole 26 having in one side a longitudinal slot 27 extending parallel to its longitudinal axis through its entire length except for a short upper end portion which may be capped by a knob 28. The slot 27 communicates with horizontal slot 12 and extends downwardly through the base A to the lower end of the flag pole. Flag pole 26 is mounted in the base A by any suitable means such as a flange 30', having a slot registering with the solt 27. The lower end portion of the flag pole 26 projects downwardly into the base A and is provided with a slot 31, diametrically opposed to slot 27 and extending upwardly to the top panel 10 of the base. The unit C further includes a flag 32 formed of sheet metal or of sheet plastic material having at one end a slide in the form of a cylindrical rolled sleeve 33 which is slidably fitted within the tubular flag pole 26 with the body of the flag 32 projecting through the slot 27. Rolled sleeve 33 of flag 32 functions as a slide which is slidable vertically within flag pole 36 while supporting the flag in a horizontally projecting position.

The actuator mechanism D comprises a lever 35 pivoted at 36 on a bracket attached to the inner wall of base skirt 11 in registration with the aperture 13 therein. Lever 35 has a handle portion 37 which projects outwardly through the aperture 13 Operating lever 35 is seen in its down position, with the flag 32 raised to its elevated position and the movable arm of the soldier in salute position. Operating lever 35 extends out of the base A at a point near the top of the base A and on the same side of the toy as the soldier figure B. Inside the base A the lever 35 passes under the soldier and over to the flag pole C, which the end of the lever enters through the vertical slot 31 in the lower part of the flag pole, when the flag is elevated. Pivotallyattached to the inner end of the lever 35 is a push rod 38 consisting of a section of spring Wire, such as piano wire. Wire 38 runs upwardly from the lever 35 through the hollow flag pole 26 (when the flag is elevated) and is anchored in a bore in a weighted core 39 around which the sleeve 33 of the flag 32 is wrapped inside the flag pole C, and to which the wire 38 is attached. When the lever handle 3'7 is raised to its up position, the wire 38 and thus the core 39 are brought downward through the flagpole, the wire 38 moving in arcuate path P. Because it is of spring wire and rigidly anchored in core 39, push rod 38 will be bowed as it reaches its retracted position P. The flag 32 slides vertically in the vertical slot 27 (see FIG. 2) which extends nearly the full length of the flag pole 26. Thisslot extends down the flag pole from a point just short of its upper end, past the top of the base A and very nearly to the lower end of the pole 26. The flag, when lowered is allowed to pass through the slot 12 in the top of the base A to its lowermost position shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, where it rests on the short web of flag pole 26 closing the lower end of slot 27.

A somewhat similar device is utilized for operating the movable saluting arm 26 of the soldier figure B. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, there is a vertical push rod 40 of piano wire located inside the hollow body 15. The upper end of the push stem 40 is pivotally attached to a crank arm 41 which in turn is attached to the horizontal shaft 23, which runs. crosswise through the shoulder part of the torso 18. The push stem 40 is attached at its lower end to a shank 42 which is slidably mounted in tubular guide 20 in the foot of the soldier. At its lower end, shank 42 has a head 43. As the lever handle 37 is depressed by the operator, and as the lever 35 is correspondingly elevated until it reaches the point where the flag is nearly raised, it will strike the head 43 of the shank 42, thus pushing it upwardly and correspondingly raising the push stem 40. As the push stem 4!} is raised, it turns the crank arm 41, which, in turn, rotates the cross-shaft 23. Thus it is seen that the raising of lever 35 rotates the crank arm 14, which turns the shaft 15, which, by means of crank 16 in the saluting arm, raises the arm to salute position. The lever 35 is not otherwise attached to the body of the soldier B.

This novel device provides a realistic and enjoyable childrens toy which is at the same time educational and profitable.

1 claim:

1. A flag saluting toy comprising: a base; a tubular fiag pole mounted in the base and projecting upwardly therefrom, said flag pole having a longitudinal slot extending substantially the full height thereof; a flag having slide means at one end thereof, said slide means being slidably mounted within said flag pole and supporting the flag in a position projecting horizontally through said slot; a soldier figure including a hollow body secured at its lower end to said base and projecting upwardly therefrom, a saluting arm, a shaft extending transversely through the shoulder portion of said body and having one end projecting therefrom and anchored in said saluting arm for pivotally mounting the same for vertically swinging movement between a lowered position and a raised saluting position, a crank arm attached to said shaft within said hollow body, and a push stem pivoted to said crank arm and projecting downwardly through said hollow body for vertical sliding movement therein; and actuator mechanism comprising a lever extending through an aperture in one side of the base and pivoted to the base adjacent said aperture, and a push rod of spring wire pivoted to the inner end of said lever at one end and anchored at its other end to said slide means of the flag, said push rod being of flexible spring wire, projecting upwardly into said fiag pole when said inner end of the lever is raised, and adapted to assume a bowed position upon downward swinging movement of said lever toward the side of the base, with its upper end substantially tangent to the axis of said flag pole and its lower end diverging away from said axis; said lever being arranged to engage the lower end of said push stern when approaching its upper limit of raising movement, thereby to elevate said saluting arm as the flag reaches its fully elevated position.

2. A toy as defined in claim 1, including a core secured to and extending vertically along said one end of the flag, said push rod having its upper end anchored in the lower end of said core, said core functioning as a weight for gravity-responsive lowering of the flag.

3. A toy as defined in claim 1, wherein said push stem of the soldier figure has on its lower end a head against which an intermediate portion of said lever is arranged to engage as the lever nears its upward limit of swinging movement whereby said arm is raised to a saluting position at the end of the flag-raising movement.

4. A flag raising toy comprising: a hollow base including a skirt portion to rest upon a supporting surface and a generally horizontal top panel having a radially projecting slot in one side thereof; a tubular fiag pole having a longitudinal slot registering with the inner end of said radial slot, said flag pole extending through said top, and being anchored thereto with its lower end portion projecting downwardly into said base and with said longitudinal slot extending through said top portion and substantially to the lower end of said lower end portion of the fiag pole; a flag having at one end a slide extending from top to bottom thereof and slidably fitted within said flag pole for supporting said flag in a position projecting horizontally through said slot, and for vertical sliding movement from an elevated position near the top of said flag pole to a lowered position received within said base, said flag pole having a relatively short axially extending slot in its lower end portion, diametrically opposite said longitudinal slot and open at the lower end of said lower end portion of the ting pole; a saluting soldier figure comprising a hollow body anchored at its lower end to said top panel, having a saluting arm pivotally mounted to one shoulder thereof on a horizontal axis extending through the shoulders of said body, and having means slidable vertically within said body and projecting downwardly through its lower end into said base, for transmitting to said arm, upwardly swinging movement from a lowered position to an elevated saluting position; and means for moving said flag and said saluting arm to their respective raised positions, comprising a lever pivoted to said base on a horizontal axis near said skirt portion and slightly below said top panel, said lever having a handle portion projecting through an aperture intersecting said top panel and said skirt portion, for manual manipulation externally of the base, said lever having an inner end portion adapted to enter said axially extending slot in said lower end portion of the flag pole, means linking said inner end portion of the lever to said flag for elevating the latter upon downward swinging movement of said handle from a position projecting upwardly from said base to a substantially horizontally outwardly projecting position wherein said inner end of the lever is near said top panel of the base, and means for transmitting to said vertically slidable means in said body of the saluting figure, as said lever is elevated, movements for elevating said saluting arm to its saluting position.

5. A toy as defined in claim 4, wherein said last means comprises a shank slidably mounted in the lower end portion of said figure body and having at its lower end a head which is engageable by an intermediate portion of said lever, between its pivot and its said inner end, for moving said soldier figure shank upwardly.

6. A toy as defined in claim 5, wherein said linking means comprises a push rod of flexible spring wire pivotally connected at its lower end to the said inner end of said lever and anchored at its upper end in the lower end of said flag slide, said inner end of the lever and said push rod adapted to move in said axially extending slot in the said lower end portion of said flag pole in the upper stage of vertical movements of said lever.

7. In a saluting toy: a hollow base including a top portion and a skirt extending downwardly from the periphery thereof and adapted to rest on a supporting surface, said top portion having a horizontal slot in one side portion thereof and said base having an aperture in an opposite side extremity thereof; a tubular flag pole having a longitudinal slot extending substantially from end to end thereof, anchored near its lower end to said top portion of the base with said longitudinal slot communicating with the inner end of said horizontal slot; a flag having at one end a slide means slidably fitted within said fiag pole and having a body portion supported by said slide means in a position projecting horizontally through said slot, for raising and lowering movements between a lowered position disposed within said base and a raised position near the upper end of said flag pole, said fiag passing through said horizontal slot during said vertical movements; a saluting soldier figure having a hollow body portion anchored at its lower end to said top portion of the base and projecting upwardly therefrom between said fiag pole and said aperture and having a saluting arm pivotally attached to one shoulder of said hollow body for vertically swinging movements between a lowered position and a raised saluting position; and actuator means comprising a lever pivoted to said base on a horizontal axis at a point adjacent said aperture and near said top portion and including a handle projecting through said aperture; means linking the inner end of said lever to said flag slide for transmitting elevating movement to the flag when said lever is swung inwardly and upwardly from a position depending from its pivot to a position projecting horizontally therefrom to a point near the lower end of said flag pole; and means operable during such elevating movement to transmit upwardly through said hollow body to said saluting arm, upwardly References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Halder Mar. 21, 1899 Wallis Apr. 14, 1942 

